Public involvement at Council meetings

1. Overview

All Ordinary and Planning and Strategy Committee Meetings are open to the public, however some matters may be held in closed session depending on the content. Section 10A of the Local Government Act sets out those matters which a Council can deal with in Closed Session. 

Council’s Code of Meeting Practice(PDF, 497KB) makes provision for public involvement but makes it clear that this involvement is now required by law to be dealt with separate to the Council Meeting itself.  To accommodate this, Council has developed a Public Forum. The Chairperson will adjourn the official Council meeting to allow the Public Forum to take place.

The Public Forum will consist of:

1. Presentations from members of the public who wish to speak to items being considered on the agenda of the Council meeting
2. The Tabling of petitions, in line with Council’s Petitions Policy(PDF, 301KB)
3. Written Questions on Notice from the community on any issue relating to the Council’s legislative responsibilities 
4. Presentations which have been invited by the CEO/GM

2. Presentations to Council

In light of COVID-19, Council meetings are being held remotely and are closed to the public. However, members of the public are still able to view the meetings live via webcast.qprc.nsw.gov.au

To allow for presentations to Council during this period, you can complete the online form below by 12pm on the day of the meeting. Presentations can either be made in writing or by attending a Zoom meeting. See details in the form below.  

Members of the public wishing to make presentations on an item on the agenda of a Council meeting must register prior to the commencement of the meeting.  They can speak for a maximum of three minutes with the Chair having the discretion to extend for a further two minutes. Presenters must state which item they are presenting on and whether they are speaking ‘for’ or ‘against’ the item. Presenters are not able to ask questions during their presentation. A person may apply to speak on more than one item on the Council agenda but must do so within the allocated time limit (three minutes). Presenters must refrain from digressing from the item they are speaking to and must refrain from engaging in disorderly conduct and obey the rulings of the Chair. You can register to make a presentation in the following ways:

• Complete the form below prior to 12pm on the day of the meeting
• Call the General Manager’s Office on 1300 735 025 prior to 12pm on the day of the meeting
• Register with the Clerk of the Chamber at the meeting venue between 5-5.30pm

Click here to view form.

3. Questions on Notice | Public Forum

Written questions on notice from the community can be about any Council-related business and do not need to be related to matters on the agenda. Questions on notice from the community must be submitted in writing, by using the online form below or via email to public.forum@qprc.nsw.gov.au by 12pm on the Wednesday prior to the meeting. This allows staff time to prepare responses.  All questions and responses will be tabled at each Public Forum, provided to the person who asked the questions and published on our website. From May 2019 all public forum questions and answers will be included in the minute documents which can be downloaded here.

Click here to view form.

4. Petitions

Council welcomes the lodging of petitions from members of its community and recognises them as being part of the community engagement process which allows community members to express their views to the body politic. A petition must pertain to the legislative responsibilities of Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council. Petitions relating to issues/matters outside of Council’s direct area of responsibility will not be accepted.

For more information please refer to the QPRC Petition Policy here.(PDF, 301KB)

The following petitions have been submitted to Council since the adoption of the Petition Policy on 24 April 2019.